MCD House adjourned without electing Mayor; AAP stages dharna

New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi could not elect a mayor as its proceedings were adjourned on Tuesday, a second instance of the new House convening for mayoral poll but not being able to complete the process, prompting a protest by Aam Aadmi Party councillors and MLAs. There was an unusual security arrangement for the House proceeding with personnel deployed on the Civic Centre premises, and in the House as well.

However, there was a heated discussion between BJP and AAP members following which presiding officer Satya Sharma, a BJP councillor, adjourned the House without holding the poll. All AAP councillors, their 13 MLAs and three MPs sat in the House and demanded BJP councillors come back so that the mayoral polls could be conducted.

"We will not leave the House until the BJP councillors come back and polls are held. We will sit here until the elections are conducted," said AAP Leader Durgesh Pathak. Rekha Gupta, the BJP's mayoral candidate and a three-time councillor from Shalimar Bagh, also staged a dharna at the Civic Centre. Gupta claimed that the AAP started the ruckus that led to the adjournment of the house. "One of the AAP councillors Praveen pushed our female councillor and I complained to (AAP MLA) Atishi about the incident. She hid him behind her. They were laughing and shoving. It is very shameful of them," Rekha told PTI. This is the second time in the 15 days a ruckus led to the adjournment of the house and the mayor could not be elected. The proceeding went largely smoothly till the councillors and nominated members were administered the oath. After the oath, the House was adjourned for 15 minutes during which several BJP councillors left their seats and raised slogans. They went towards the benches where AAP councillors were sitting and raised slogans. A few councillors from both parties then entered into a heated exchange on one of the aisles of the House.

This prompted Presiding Officer Satya Sharma to adjourn the House till further date. "A House cannot run like this. This House is adjourned till next date," Satya Sharma, a BJP councillor, said. Enraged by the move, the AAP accused the saffron party of adjourning the House because it does not have the number for mayoral polls. "The BJP doesn't have numbers that's why he has adjourned the House. All our councillors are sitting here. If you have guts then come and get voting done. Respect the mandate of the people of Delhi," Pathak said.

A senior official said the security this time around was enhanced from the first municipal house with a large number of civil defence personnel, including women members, and marshals deployed. Security personnel were deployed inside the municipal House, the Civic Centre premises and even the Well to avoid a repeat of the chaos seen during the last meeting on January 6. On that day, the maiden meeting of the newly elected Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House was adjourned without electing the mayor and the deputy mayor amid loud protests by AAP councillors over the presiding officer's decision to administer oath to the 10 aldermen first.